Our Objectives
- Understand how to identify the theme of a Bible study by analysing key information and relating it to real-life cases.
- Understand how to apply the information in this chapter to help analyse pastoral issues.
- Gain a preliminary understanding of how to design and develop a pastoral plan based on the analysis results.
Case Study 1
Read the story of Cain and Abel's offering in Chapter 4 (verses 1-7).
Questions for Case Study 1
- Analyse why Cain's offering was not accepted, but Abel's was.
- What was Abel's attitude towards offering?
- What was Cain's attitude towards offering?
- What do you think is the correct attitude towards giving?
Summary of Case Study 1
- Abel gave God his best and most valuable; but Cain did not give God his most valuable, he just grabbed a handful from the ground.
- Abel treated God as the most valuable, and gave God the best, which originally belonged to God anyway. Abel believed this was his duty, it was a matter of course.
- Cain treated giving as a task to be completed, and did not think that God was the most important in his life, nor did he regard God as the most precious in his life. So when Cain completed the task, when God criticised him, his dissatisfaction came out.
- The correct attitude to giving: 1. God wants to bless us through giving, so we need to give, not God needs to give. 2. Giving is our duty, not a transaction. 3. We must give our most precious to God, even our whole body and soul belong to God. 4. Giving is not a task, nor can it be regarded as a so-called good deed, nor is it a religious ritual. Rather, it is our duty as we live a God-centred life.
Case Study 2
Afang worked as a waitress in a restaurant, 12 hours a day, only one day off a month. The work was very demanding and the salary only covered her monthly rent and daily expenses. Afang suffered from chronic gynaecological inflammation. Introduced by a friend, she came to the church and heard many testimonies of blessings and healing. Afang envied these blessed brothers and sisters and decided that she would come to church when she had time and start tithing.
A few months later, Afang received an offer for a new job with very good benefits, two days off a week, and three times the salary. And during this time, Afang's gynaecological illness was also cured! Afang began to use her time off to go out and play with friends, and occasionally came to church when she was feeling unwell or in a bad mood. The Pastor noticed that Afang had not paid tithes for two consecutive months, and when he asked her, Afang replied to the Pastor: Isn't it just a few hundred dollars? You can have it!
Not long after, Afang resigned and returned to her hometown to start her own business. In less than a few months, all the preparation funds were lost, the shop closed down, and she owed more than 100,000 yuan. Physically, the symptoms of gynaecological inflammation worsened and she was diagnosed with an incurable disease in an examination. Afang contacted the Pastor; she is now in great pain and needs help!
Afang's sister, Xiaoyuan, earns only 1600 a month. After deducting rent and daily expenses, she only has 200 yuan left each month. If she tithes, she will only have 40 yuan left. Almost equivalent to having no savings each month. And there can be no unexpected expenses each month. But Xiaoyuan still decided to give a full tithe.
After some time, Xiaoyuan's salary had doubled, and today Xiaoyuan already owns her own property and lives a blessed life.
Case Study 2 Discussion Questions
In light of the story of Cain and Abel's offerings in Chapter 4 (verses 1-7), analyse the root cause of all the problems faced by Ah Fang.
In light of the story of Cain and Abel's offerings in Chapter 4 (verses 1-7), analyse what ultimately led Ah Yuan to live a blessed life.
What have you learned from the story of Cain and Abel's offerings (verses 1-7), and the experiences of Ah Fang and Ah Yuan?
What is the most pressing issue that Ah Fang needs to address now? As her pastor, how do you plan to resolve her problem?
Case Study 2 Summary
The root of the problem for both Cain and Ah Fang lies in their attitude towards offering (here, a correct attitude towards offering can be mentioned in the summary).
Ah Yuan understands that the key to life is not money; people need God to live. Ah Yuan's attitude towards offering pleased God, ultimately leading to blessings.
We have learned that the act of offering is not the key; the attitude and mindset behind the offering are more important.
What Ah Fang needs most is to change her current mindset and remove the idolatrous mentality.
The key is the transformation of the value system. Ah Yuan has a God-centred value system, while Ah Fang has a self-centred value system.
Case Study 3
Xiao Liang suffers from severe auditory and visual hallucinations and depression. After pastors prayed and ministered throughout the night, Xiao Liang's problems have lessened significantly. For 3 months, she has not taken any medication, and her mental state has improved significantly. She can live a normal life and participate in work. Xiao Liang's mother and Xiao Liang decided to donate some money to the church to express their gratitude to the church for helping them.
Three months later, because Xiao Liang herself did not continue to trust in God, truly fulfilling the words of the Bible, When one demon is driven out, seven more evil ones will come, Xiao Liang's condition is worse than before. Because Xiao Liang's father does not believe in the Lord, he insisted on sending Xiao Liang to a mental hospital. At this time, Xiao Liang's mother wanted to ask the church to return the money she had donated, because Xiao Liang's mother believed that the church had not been able to solve her daughter's illness.
Case Study 3 Questions
- What kind of problems exist in the attitudes of Xiao Liang and Xiao Liang's mother towards offering?
- What should the correct attitude towards offering be like?
Case Study 3 Summary
Offering is not a medical expense; offering is not a transaction with God; the purpose of offering is not to help the church. What the church needs is not money, but God.
Correct attitude towards offering: 1. God wants to bless us through offering, so we need blessings, not that God needs offering. 2. Offering is our duty, not a transaction. 3. Give the most precious things to God, even our whole being belongs to God. 4. Offering is not a task, nor can it be regarded as a good deed, nor is it a religious ritual. Instead, it is our natural duty to live a God-centred life.